2. Irsamdralda – My first planet
The shaking stopped and I was able to leave my spot on the rail. Doctor was walking around the console flipping seemingly random switches, one hand stuffed into his pocket. His eyes were distant, almost vacant, as he stopped where there was a medium sized screen barely connected to the console.
"I never caught your name," He said suddenly, his eyes never straying from the monitor.
"Oh, how incredibly rude of me," I blushed and looked down at my snow boots. "I'm Celia Bradford, born and raised in London."
"Ah, a Londoner!" He said, suddenly turning his eyes on me. "I've had the best of times with a Londoner. I'm pleased to have you aboard Celia Bradford."
I couldn't help but smile. His energy was absolutely contagious; I couldn't help but react in an equal manner.
"Where are you taking me?" I asked walking up beside him. I stared at the monitor hoping to catch a glimpse of familiarity. Instead, what I saw didn't make sense. What appeared to be turning gears filled up the entire screen, not one was the same having different lines and circles inside. It was completely unreadable.
"I'm taking you anywhere and nowhere," he riddled, "Forwards, backwards, side to side. It's all within our reach, so long as I don't cross my own timeline. Then things get a bit complicated."
"Time line?" I asked trying to make sense of his gibberish.
"Well, technically time isn't a line it's a bunch of wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey -." He paused, cleared his throat and looked down at a pair of flashing blue knobs. "You get the picture."
"So – we are where exactly?"
"The time vortex," His head snapped up and he smiled, the same goofy expression once again plastered onto his face. He gazed towards the door as if he could almost see every event in history. He blinked, clearing the fog from his eyes.
"You never answered my question," I reminded leaning casually against the console. Though I was still weary of him I could somehow sense he meant me no harm. Yet there was a danger inside his eyes, looking into them sent my hands into a frenzied tremble.
"Right," He snapped out of his trance. "I thought we'd go somewhere fun."
I couldn't help but feel that to him every place was 'fun'. Almost as soon as he finished speaking the TARDIS jolted and resumed its annoying 'vwooorrrp' noise. I fell to my knees as the shaking intensified. I looked at the Doctor hoping to decipher whether or not this was normal. His face betrayed nothing except intense excitement. Finally, with one final thump everything ceased at once.
"Is this normal for you?" I asked with a groan as I rose to my feet. He strode over and offered his hand and I took it with little thought. He helped me to my feet, a perfectly gentleman thing to do.
He chose to ignore my question and pulled me over to the door. I realized that we were still holding hands and slide mine from his grasp. Generally I wasn't really a physical person. I could tell that the Doctor was used to having someone with him. I looked around and suddenly seemed to realize that all signs pointed to another female inhabitant. Doctor noticed me eyeing a feminine jacket casually draped over one of the oddly shaped pillars surrounding the console. It certainly didn't belong to me.
"Whose is that?" I asked pointing, though the gesture was completely unnecessary. He sucked in a deep breath from behind me.
"It belonged to Donna Noble," He explained moving towards the brown leather jacket. I watched as he picked it up, clearly reminiscent. "She's no longer with me."
"'No longer with you'?" I gasped. "Is – is she dead?"
"Heavens no!" He chuckled tossing the jacket aside. "She went home and is living a perfectly normal life with her family. I haven't lost a companion yet, and don't plan to."
He winked as if suggesting something. Companion? Is that what she had become?
"Now come on!" He urged and, with a couple powerful strides, was back at my side and pulling me to the door. He opened it with flourish and pulled me outside.
The heat was amazing. I felt as though I immediately started sweating beneath my thick snow ready garb. I blinked as I gazed about me. There was sand beneath my feet and the crashing of waves in the distant. The sky was a brilliant shade of aqua and the burning sienna sun shone happily above. There was hardly a tree in sight but plenty of colorful umbrellas and beach towels. The giggling of people filled the area, though hardly any of them looked human. They were – were aliens!
"Welcome to Irsamdralda!" Doctor gestured to the beach scene laid out before me. "This planet is home to the largest beaches in all the worlds! Ninety-eight percent water, actually."
"You brought me to the beach?" I asked, looking up at his blissfully ignorant face. He looked down at me and his smile grew even wider. "I'm wearing a thick winter jacket and snow boots! I'm not nearly prepared for this; I don't even think I packed my swimming suit!"
"Non-sense," he waved as if it was no big deal. "The TARDIS is equipped with a wardrobe filled to the bursting point with clothes of all varieties. I'm sure she could muster something up for you."
"Men's clothing?" I scoffed, "no thanks."
"Don't be ridiculous," He insisted and, before I could pose any further protest, he was pulling me inside.
We rushed past the blinking console to the corridor I had discovered earlier today, or yesterday – or tomorrow. Time travel was complicated. I decided it didn't matter when I had stumbled across it. All that mattered was the fact that I was being rushed down it with no particular idea of where we were headed. Deeper and deeper we traveled until the hall suddenly became a dead end. The metal door slid open revealing a huge wardrobe with clothes of all kinds hanging from the racks. Some were male, others were female. Doctor left my side and opened a pink trunk and rummaged through it.
"Ah-ha!" He said as he pulled something blue from within. He tossed it in my direction and I fumbled to catching. I half expected to see some skimpy bikini but was pleasantly surprised to find a one piece suit completed with a sarong. Doctor looked up at me and gestured to a vacant changing room. "Go ahead."
It took me only mere seconds to change. I stuffed my clothes into the bag that was sitting on the bench. I exited, careful to draw the curtain upon my exit and looked for the Doctor. I found him in the middle of the room wearing a ridiculous straw hat, a lei and a pair of sunglasses. He was changed out of his blue suit and was wearing a white tank top and orange swim trunks. He spun around as though he was modeling some new outfit.
"What do you think?" He asked. He looked down at his swim suit. "I've had this thing for years, always intending to wear it."
"Yeah – you look, uh, nice." I nodded quickly looking away. Truth was he was incredibly handsome. It almost wasn't fair. I felt a blush creep across my face and quickly pushed unwanted thoughts from my head.
"Come on then!" He urged. "I'm ready for some beach time."
The beach was perfect, literally. The water was the perfect temperature and there was no need to sunscreen. The sun's rays were completely gentle. Normally if I spent too much time in the sun my pale complexion would turn lobster red. A very ugly look paired with my blond hair.
After a quick dip in the still, glassy water I made the trek up to where the Doctor was lounging on the beach towels he had spread for us. Since first coming to Irsam-whatever he had hardly budged. In fact he had remained perfectly stoic and thoughtful. His dark brown eyes were kept hidden behind his sunglasses and, with the hat casting a shadow over his face, it made him appear even more mysterious. I flushed as I noticed a pair of violet eyes, belonging to that of a creature with a horrid green complexion, which stared at us. Clearly he, she or whatever the gender belonging to it, didn't trust us.
"You really ought to smile," I suggested. My witty question was completely out of character for me and instantly I wished that my words would go unheard by him. Instead he turned his glass covered eyes on me revealed his pearly white teeth in a rather forced expression. I flinched. "Not like that. They might think you're going to eat me."
I giggled and he joined in, though his laugh was hardly audible signaling to me that something was wrong. I sat down and, just as soon, he stood. He wiped the sand off on his dry swim trunks.
"I'm going on a walk," he announced. His tone of voice suggested that I wasn't invited to join him. I slouched.
"And what do you expect me to do while you're gone?" I demanded, crossing my arms. I wasn't exactly thrilled about the prospect of being left alone on an unfamiliar planet. "Sit about and stare at the sand?"
"If it pleases you." He stuffed his hands into his pockets; pockets I didn't know existed until now. "I'll be back, trust me."
Strangely I did trust him. Everything he had said to me turned out to be true. The TARDIS was a time machine and he was – the Doctor, though his species remained a mystery. He certainly looked human but the knowledge that sat in the very depths of his eyes suggested otherwise. No human was as clever as he.
"Well," I grumbled, "Don't stay away for too long. Sand can only be so interesting."
He flashed me one of his huge grins, grins that started growing on me, and walked away ever so casually. I watched as he weaved in and out of the bustling crowds of people until he disappeared from sight. With pursed lips I laid back on the towel, soaking up as much sun as possible.